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We’re coming up on week 10 of the fantasy baseball season. The season seems to enter a slight lull in June, but you can't afford to rest now. Fantasy baseball necessitates hyper-vigilance, especially in deeper leagues where the waiver wires are quickly stripped of talent. This weekly article will outline the upcoming schedule, two-start pitchers, and a few waiver targets that are rostered in less than 5% of leagues.
It’s good practice to maximize at-bats and starts. A quick look at upcoming schedules for the tenth week of the MLB season could end up giving you the edge in this week’s play. There are plenty of two-start pitchers this week who should end up providing great value.
This article will discuss some deeper-league fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for week 10, May 29 through June 4. While the season may have settled in, the waiver wires are still hot. Rostered percentages can change quickly. So be quick to check your leagues for their availability. Key point - this list will focus on rostered players in less than 5% of Yahoo! leagues.
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Fantasy Baseball Schedule Outlook
This week has some great schedules to target for fantasy. There are only two teams with five games on their schedule. Six teams have a full slate of games this week, so there are a couple of players who will provide extra at-bats this week.
In this week’s weather report: clear skies for most of the country. There's only a small storm in D.C. on Saturday, but the Nationals will luckily be in Kansas City.
- 7 Games - CLE, LAA, MIN, HOU, ARI, COL
- 6 Games - MIN, CHC, BOS, TEX, PIT, LAD, NYM, WAS, BAL, NYY, CWS, DET, OAK, SEA, TB, TOR, ATL, CIN, MIA, MIL, PHI, SF
- 5 Games - KC, STL
Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers
With the season settling in, there are starting pitchers of varying quality in this week’s two-start list. For more insight, check out my article on this week’s two-start pitchers.
- Tommy Henry (vs. COL, vs. ATL)
- Ryne Nelson (vs. COL, vs. ATL)
- Bryce Elder (@ OAK, @ ARI)
- Marcus Stroman (vs. TB, @ SD)
- Ben Lively (@ BOS, vs. MIL)
- Karl Kauffmann (@ ARI, @ KC)
- Bobby Miller (vs. WAS, vs. NYY)
- Sandy Alcantara (vs. SD, vs. OAK)
- Adrian Houser (@ TOR, @ CIN)
- Kodai Senga (vs. PHI, vs. TOR)
- Ranger Suarez (@ NYM, @ WAS)
- Rich Hill (@ SF, vs. STL)
- Ryan Weathers (@ MIA, vs. CHC)
- Anthony DeSclafani (vs. PIT, vs. BAL)
- Trevor Williams (@ LAD, vs. PHI)
- Tyler Wells (vs. CLE, @ SF)
- Brayan Bello (vs. CIN, vs. TB)
- Logan Allen (@ BAL, @ MIN)
- Cal Quantrill (@ BAL, @ MIN)
- Michael Kopech (vs. LAA, vs. DET)
- Matthew Boyd (vs. TEX, @ CWS)
- J.P. France (vs. MIN, vs. LAA)
- Brandon Bielak (vs. MIN, vs. LAA)
- Jaime Barria (@ CWS, @ HOU)
- Sonny Gray (@ HOU, vs. CLE)
- Joe Ryan (@ HOU, vs. CLE)
- Domingo German (@ SEA, @ LAD)
- Paul Blackburn (vs. ATL, @ MIA)
- Bryce Miller (vs. NYY, @ TEX)
- Shane McClanahan (@ CHC, @ BOS)
- Nathan Eovaldi (@ DET, vs. SEA)
- Yusei Kikuchi (vs. MIL, @ NYM)
Deeper Infield Waiver Wire Pickups
Tucupita Marcano (2B/SS/OF), Pittsburgh Pirates- 1% Rostered
With a .249 wOBA in his first season as a Pittsburgh Pirate, it was no surprise that Tucupita Marcano started the season in Triple-A. But the former top-100 prospect blew past expectations, slashing .422/.458/.689 with 10 RBI, eight runs, and three stolen bases in 11 games for Triple-A Indianapolis.
That stretch got Marcano back into the mix at the major-league level, but he'd still be behind the then-streaky Rodolfo Castro and Mark Mathias. Marcano has gone on a streak of his own to claim an everyday role at shortstop, slashing .266/.341/.468 with three home runs, 11 runs, 10 RBI, three stolen bases, and a 12.1% strikeout rate.
The 23-year-old will provide solid contact and speed numbers for the rest of the season in an everyday role. Marcano should end up as a roster mainstay.
Edouard Julien (2B), Minnesota Twins - 4% Rostered
With Jorge Polanco back on the 10-day IL, a spot for rookie Edouard Julien opened up. Promoted from Triple-A St. Paul a week ago, Julien has since hit two home runs, with a 3-for-5 showing Saturday against the Blue Jays. While he has struck out nine times since being called up, he's still above the water offensively in terms of OPS+ and wRC+. The Canadian native is another big power bat in this Twins lineup and should provide good power numbers in fantasy.
Zach Neto (SS), Los Angeles Angels - 5% Rostered
When a player with only 44 games of minor-league experience is promoted straight to the majors, a harsh and lengthy learning period is expected. And for the first 13 games of Zach Neto's career, it looked just like that. In his first 48 plate appearances, the 22-year-old slashed .214/.313/.310 with an 18.8% strikeout rate.
But in the month since that stretch, Neto and his trademark leg kick have slashed .279/.330/.442 with 12 runs, 13 RBI, and three home runs. He's provided great defense, with two OAA and three defensive runs saved. An everyday middle-infielder with an above-average bat should not be at just 5% rostered. Run to grab Neto off your waiver wires.
Second-ranked @Angels prospect Zach Neto continues to rake against southpaws, upping his OPS vs. LHP in The Show to .991 with this 3-run jack: pic.twitter.com/QIgflYRczS
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 25, 2023
Zach McKinstry (2B/3B/SS/OF), Detroit Tigers - 5% Rostered
"Batting lead-off for your Detroit Tigers, Zach McKinstry!"
That line would've sounded depressing to Tigers fans a few months ago, but it now strikes fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers.
Through 42 games, McKinstry is slashing .274/.403/.398 with three home runs, 21 runs, eight RBI, and seven steals. Nobody was expecting an OPS anywhere near .800 for the 28-year-old. Zach McKinstry should be a solid fantasy producer as the lead-off man for a Tigers team that seems to be turning a corner.
Zack Gelof (2B), Oakland Athletics - 0% Rostered
A rare back-to-back-to-back Zach feature. Take a picture, folks.
With Nick Allen (41 OPS+), Tony Kemp (36 OPS+), and Jace Peterson (69 OPS+) struggling mightily, an Athletics minor-league infielder will be brought up. With Jordan Diaz's demotion happening just a few days ago, it should be third-ranked prospect Zack Gelof.
Through 34 games with Triple-A Las Vegas, Gelof is slashing .281/.409/.479 with four home runs, 31 runs, 17 RBI, and 12 stolen bases.
The 23-year-old has been on the fast track since he was promoted from Single-A to Triple-A in the last days of the 2021 minor-league season. He's had enough time in the minors. Gelof can be a legitimate five-category producer, making him a great stash for a call-up that should happen later this month.
Deeper Outfield Waiver Wire Pickups
Oscar Mercado (OF), St. Louis Cardinals - 1% Rostered
Injuries to Tyler O'Neill and Dylan Carlson have opened the door for Oscar Mercado. The former Cleveland Guardian has stepped into near-everyday playing time as an outfield fill-in.
He has made the most of it, slashing .375/.375/.500 with three runs, five RBI, and two stolen bases in nine games. He'll continue to see at-bats until O'Neill and Carlson return. It's a temporary stay, but plug in Mercado this week.
Drew Waters (OF), Kansas City Royals - 1% Rostered
After starting the year on the injured list for an oblique issue, Drew Waters makes his glorious return. After being traded in 2022 by the Atlanta Braves, he debuted for the Royals with a 125 wRC+ in his first 32 games.
MAY WE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE
Drew Waters is now 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double. pic.twitter.com/1U7Vdf2THN
— Omaha Storm Chasers (@OMAStormChasers) May 22, 2023
He was incredible in his rehab assignment, with a 154 wRC+ in 13 games for Triple-A Omaha. In his first game back, Waters went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. While it'll be tough for him to keep up this .500/.500/.500 line, he has all the offensive tools to be a solid contributor in fantasy.
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